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Shopping
Toronto has ample opportunities for shopping, and nearly any section of
the city has unique places to shop and find deals:
• Yonge Street is the longest continuous street in the world. It runs from
the edge of the Lake right to just shy of Thunder Bay (on the far shore of
Lake Superior). The in-town end is a touristy-shopping district with many
restaurants, souvenir and gift shops etc.
• Located a short walk west of the Eaton Centre is the city's fashion
district along Queen St. West, an area usually bustling with local hipsters
looking for the latest looks in a variety of trendy stores.
• Kensington Market, around College and Spadina, has hundreds of stores.
Most of them are food vendors, but there are a number of used clothing shops
as well.
• Pacific Mall
at Steeles and Kennedy in Markham - The largest Chinese indoor mall in North
America.
• Chinatown, centered at Dundas St. and Spadina, is one of North America's
largest Chinatowns with many stores geared towards tourists. It is a good
place to pick up souvenirs though it is important to pay attention to the
quality of the items.
Farmer's Markets
Surrounded by the extensive fertile farmlands of Southern Ontario,
Toronto has an abundance of farmer's markets - one is happening, in season,
almost every day. Several markets are year round, while others are seasonal,
generally running from May to October.
• The St. Lawrence Market -
Since 1901, the St. Lawrence Market has brought the freshest foods into the
city for Torontonians and visitors alike. Located at Jarvis and Front, the
St. Lawrence Market stretches over 2 buildings, the 'North Market' and the
'South Market' - and often over the section of Front street between them!
The North Market is home to a Farmer's Market, open Saturdays during the
summer. It features fresh vegetables in season, preserves, spices and herbs,
and direct from the source foods, such as honey direct from the beekeeper or
maple syrup from the people who tapped and boiled it. The South Market has
over 50 specialty vendors, with a large seafood section, a dozen butchers,
several bakeries, and three very extensive cheese shops. In the basement,
there is also a specialty area for handcrafters, and an extensive foodcourt,
with merchants often cooking food that they bought fresh that morning from
upstairs. The South Market is open year round, Tues-Thurs 8 a.m.-6 p.m.,
Fridays 8 a.m.-7 p.m., Saturdays 5 a.m.-5 p.m.
• Riverdale
Farm - The farm, located at 201 Winchester Street (three blocks east of
Parliament Street), is a year-round, producing farm owned by the City of
Toronto as part of its extensive park system. It is open daily from 9 am to
5 pm. The
Friends of Riverdale Farm operate an onsite store and restaurant,
Shop at the Farm and Farm Kitchen, in Simpson House (daily, 10 am to 4 pm),
and a weekly Farmer's Market (Tuesdays, May 10 - Oct. 25, 2005, from 3:30 -
7 pm). The farm is open daily for tours, education, and more. Riverdale farm
is a working farm, with barns and outdoor paddocks, and animals of all
types. In an attempt to provide education about farming, the staff is
approachable, and will discuss chores as they go through the daily tasks of
keeping a farm running. Tours are available, or you can wander the 7.5 acres
freely.
Other farmer's markets in Toronto:
• City Hall, Nathan Phillips Square, 100 Queen St. W. - Wednesdays, June 1
- Oct. 5, 2005, 10 am - 2:30 pm, (exception June 29 due to Jazz Festival)
• East York Civic Centre, 850 Coxwell Avenue - Tuesdays, May 24 - Oct. 25,
2005, 9 am - 2 pm
• Etobicoke Civic Centre, 399 The West Mall - Saturdays, June 4 - Oct.29,
2005, 8 am to 2 pm
• North York Civic Centre, Mel Lastman Square, 5100 Yonge Street -
Thursdays, June 16 - Oct. 20, 2005, 8 am - 2 pm
• Scarborough Civic Centre, Albert Campbell Square, 150 Borough Dr. -
Fridays, June 3 - Oct. 14, 2005, noon - 5 pm
• The Dufferin
Grove Farmer's Market , 875 Dufferin Street (across from the Dufferin
Mall) - Thursdays, Year round (outdoors around the rinkhouse in summer and
in the rinkhouse in winter), 3:30 - 7 pm |
